Archives by Tag 'All Access Lacrosse Practice'

In the latest edition of All-Access, we take you back to Smithfield, Rhode Island for a behind-the-scenes look inside a Bryant University men’s lacrosse practice. Watch as head coach Mike Pressler preps his squad in the locker room and runs through specific plays the team will be focusing on during practice. Then, check out actual scenes from practice as the team runs through drills and set plays discussed in the locker room earlier in the day.

This week’s All-Access session is a great way for coaches, players and even parents to see how a college lacrosse program prepares during the week – from locker room breakdowns to on-field simulations and to specific coaching strategies and concepts. Be sure to pick up some tips and insights from this exclusive look and see how you can use them with your own squad.

“Chalk Talk” – Zone Defense Overview

First, the coaching staff breaks down key zone defense techniques, like splitting the offensive side of the field in half and then splitting the top part into thirds. Meanwhile, defensemen should play from the back of the cage to the halfway point. Coach Pressler also talks about when opposing squads zoned Bryant last season that his team was really effective against it — explaining to his squad exactly why they are focusing on it that season.

The 1-4-1 Set

This 1-4-1 is a power set, with four players on the perimeter and two players inside. Coach Pressler diagrams the setup of the 1-4-1 on the whiteboard. One specific player will make the call to implement the play each time. If a “Roll” is called, the wings should roll up. “Carry” means to roll down. If a player is an X or four; that means to roll right and to carry left.

Sometimes we will call out “22 Carry.” Here, the player up top has the ball and then attacks/engages his man before carrying. Next, another player will fill in up top and the near wing player will move through. This forces the defense to rotate. If we call “22 Roll 2“, then the player with the ball engages his man, he rolls one, and then the trailing guys fill in behind. The beauty of this play is that even the coaching staff doesn’t know what’s going to materialize.

Wahoo

Next the coaching staff runs through Wahoo, which is actually Virginia’s play. Bryant used it against them with success the season before.

Here, the two nearest attackmen to the cage will start out on the GLE on opposite sides. The middle guy then cuts hard right-handed. If there isn’t a play out of this set-up, then the squad goes automatically into “Pinch.” Watch the video to see how the team makes the transition in case the original play isn’t open.

Wahoo to Pinch – On-Field Look

Now catch the play in action as the Bryant lacrosse team practices “Wahoo” on the turf. The squad also makes the transition into Pinch if the original play isn’t there.

In this week’s edition of All-Access, we take you to the University of Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana, where Fighting Irish head men’s lacrosse coach Kevin Corriganbreaks down the scouting report for his squad’s upcoming opponent.

First, Corrigan details the scouting report with his team in the film room and gives a general overview of the opponent. The head coach then emphasizes the key areas that his team needs to focus on and execute in order to be successful.

Next, watch as the scouting session moves from the film room to the practice field. With Corrigan and his coaching staff leading the way, get a glimpse at how the team walks through specific plays and situations discussed in the film session that must be addressed during the squad’s upcoming game.

This exclusive look is a great way for coaches and players to go behind the scenes and see how a Division I college lacrosse program prepares for its opponents during the week. Plus, readers can also get a feel for the different types of drills and instruction methods used when implementing specific plays and techniques to get ready for the opposition.

Film Room Discussion

Here, Coach Corrigan talks about the young team they are about to face, one that will not be afraid to challenge them and comes into the game with plenty of confidence. Corrigan also details what his squad needs to do in order to be effective, particularly thinking two steps ahead when it comes to decision making.

Scouting: On-Field Practice

Watch as the offense and defense walk through specific plays and techniques before running through them at half speed and full speed. Here, the players are practicing specific movements, overall reads, and not getting caught losing their men, especially considering they are about to face some crafty attackmen.

The team eventually works on a “Circle” play, which places particular emphasis on how to play a top pick and then react to a speed dodge. Success here really depends on timing. If the timing is off, the backside is often left wide open, so execution by the defense is crucial here in order to be successful.

In the latest edition of All-Access, we take you to Durham, North Carolina for an exclusive look inside a Duke men’s lacrosse practice. Watch as head coach John Danowski leads his squad through a number of shooting and ball handling drills.

This exclusive access gives you a glimpse of how an elite Division I program prepares on a daily basis. Be sure to pick up some new tips, drills and overall concepts so that you can implement them within your own practice and hopefully see the benefits pay off with your team.

As of Tuesday, the defending champion Blue Devils are coming off a 15-14 win over Delaware in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. Duke – which earned the fifth seed in the tournament – will now go up against No. 4 Notre Dame in a quarterfinal match-up set for May 22 at 2:30 PM in Foxborough, Mass.

In this shooting segment, Coach Danowski leads offensive players through a series of inside shooting drills that simulate shots off the pass. For instance, techniques include “Sit and Step Away,” where players start at the GLE, drive up five or seven yards, turn back/step away and then run back to X and shoot. Other moves involve getting inside defenders and initiating contact while getting the shot off. Note: Drills are also conducted on both the right and left sides of the cage.

Ball Movement

In this ball movement simulation, watch as six players work on offensive sets without facing a defense. The goal here is to work on basic mechanics, passing within the offense and becoming comfortable with offensive plays. Note how Danowski reminds players to always run to the man they are passing to and to throw the ball overhand. Remember, without perfecting and reinforcing the basics like passing and ball handling, the overall body of work will likely be inconsistent. In other words, it’s the little things that make a big difference in the overall picture.

In this week’s edition of All-Access, we take you to Annapolis, Maryland for a behind-the-scenes look at the United States Naval Academy women’s lacrosse team. Watch as head coach Cindy Timchal provides exclusive looker room access as her team makes final preparations before a home game.

The all-access pass lets you be part of Navy’s pre-game preparations, from detailed whiteboard discussion in the locker room to on-field warm-ups before the opening face-off. Also, look for ways you can incorporate some of these elements with your own team to get them prepared on game day and create a winning environment.

Locker Room Discussion

In Navy’s locker room discussion, Timchal provides her team with some last-minute instructions before they take the field. The longtime head coach lays out all of the important details of the looming contest on the whiteboard and discusses some key game strategies and overall game tactics. Plus, the conversation also includes key players to watch for, particular match-up assignments and opponent tendencies.

Game Day Warm-Ups

Next, our all-access look takes you on the field for game day warm-ups. From plyometrics to 1-on-1’s, watch as Navy goes through its typical routine before the whistle. Timchal also serves as your guide as her squad moves through unsettled drills, 3-on-2’s and drills up top and behind the cage.

After stick checks and player introductions, it’s game-time, but not before a final team huddle and some last-second words of advice.

To see more from this All-Access pass, check out the Championship Productions’ DVD “All-Access Lacrosse Practice” with Cindy Timchal. To check out more videos in our extensive All-Access collection, click here.

In this week’s edition of All-Access, we take you to Charlottesville, Virginia for an exclusive look inside of a Virginia men’s lacrosse practice. Watch as head coach Dom Starsia runs through a variety of clearing situations with his squad and dishes out advice to players regarding movements, positioning and overall strategy.

This unique perspective gives coaches and players at every level a chance to see how a top college program works on their clearing and transition areas. Coaches can also pick up tips, approaches and overall guidance that can be used for their own practices, like how to simulate different clearing situations, from a save to a turnover or a loose ball.

In this instance, the offense works on moving the ball around the horn and implements different plays each segment. On each simulation, Starsia dictates a particular change of possession, like a loose ball, goalie save or turnover. The defense then works on clearing the ball and making a clean transition up the field in order to set up the offense on the other end.

The Cavaliers went 16-2 overall in 2010 and reached the NCAA semifinals before falling to eventual champion Duke by a score of 14-13. The squad is a title contender once again in 2011 and faces a tough schedule that features eight teams that saw postseason action last year.